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Red
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BUY HARVEY'S BOOK: Red Sox vs. Yankees: The Great Rivalry
REMEMBERING ALL
STAR GAME at Fenway PARK: 1999
By
Harvey Frommer
Mid season for the national pastime means another All Star Game. All of
them have special unique features to showcase. This year in Cincinnati
- the ghost of Pete Rose will be one of the talking points. One of the more memorable of All Star Games took place at
Fenway Park July
13, 1999 at
the 70th All-Star Game. On hand were the candidates for
the All-Century Team as well as the 1999 All Stars. And since it was
staged on Boston’s home turf – the center of attraction was Theodore
Francis Williams. Four
dollars ($3.80 plus 20 cents tax) was the charge at the All-Star Game
for a Footlong Dog with fixings like onions, peppers, diced tomatoes
and giardineira. CHRIS
ELIAS: A lot of the National League stars got their first
look at the manual scoreboard. Many came inside for a closer
view; some signed the walls. ART
DAVIDSON: Pre- game, the 50 greatest players and current All
Stars were lined up on the baselines. CHARLIE
PATTERSON: PA announcer Sherm Feller said: " And now ladies and
gentlemen, boys and girls, please direct your attention to the doors in
center field and welcome the greatest hitter of all time, THE KID, THE
THUMPER, THE SPLENDID SPLINTER, TEDDY BALLGAME ------------ THEODORE
SAMUEL WILLIAMS!!!!!!!" ART
DAVIDSON: As Ted came out in a golf cart from center field to the
Fenway Park infield. Spontaneously, players rushed to embrace
Ted. The
80-year-old legend of legends, clad in a blue shirt and tan pants, was
visibly moved. He brushed away tears as he spoke to the players
surrounding him. Then
Williams got set for the ceremonial pitch to Carlton Fisk. With
San Diego’s Tony Gwynn steadying him, he waved at Fisk and lofted the
ball 40 feet into the glove of the Hall of Fame catcher to cheers,
shouts, and applause. Wasn't it
great!" a visibly moved Williams said afterwards. “It didn't surprise
me all that much because I know how these fans are here in Boston. They
love this game as much as any players and Boston's lucky to have the
faithful Red Sox fans. They're the best." LOU GORMAN:
Ceremonies over, we escorted Ted to a luxury box. Through my Navy
contacts I had arranged for a Navy fighter squad flyover over the top
of the ballpark. He wanted to
meet the pilots. “Look," I told them, just shake his hand. He’s getting
very tired." But Ted invited them to sit down, and they talked for
about ten minutes. A Marine Corps contingent
had been down on the field. The very young captain who was in charge
asked if some of his guys could meet Ted. “Just meet him and shake his hand
and be brief,” I told the Captain. He made them sit down and talked for
another ten minutes. Ted said being a Major League player was a
great honor and being a Hall of Famer was an even greater honor. But
the greatest honor of his life was to have the privilege of wearing a
Marine uniform. The American League won the
All Star Game, 4-1. Pedro Martinez thrilled the home town fans and
everyone else – striking out the first three batters he faced and
a total of five in two innings. He was the game MVP. JOE
CASTIGLIONE: Pedro is my favorite all-time pitcher, the best
pitcher I’ve ever seen. When Pedro pitched, it was an event with
Dominican flags flying and all the excitement in the ballpark. TOM
CARRON: The entire All-Star Game experience from the homerun derby to
Landsdowne Street -- throbbing with people trying to get home runs
balls as they came over the Monster, to Ted Williams being at the
heart of it all, to Pedro’s performance, to the Sox taking over a
parking lot for the media hospitality, using every nook and cranny,
having something going on everywhere you would turn. . . it was
special. (Frommer
archives) |
Dr.
Harvey
Frommer is in his 39th year of writing books. A noted oral historian
and sports
journalist, the author of 42 sports books including the classics:
best-selling
“New York City Baseball, 1947-1957″ and best-selling “Shoeless Joe and
Ragtime
Baseball,” his acclaimed Remembering Yankee Stadium was published in
2008 and
best-selling Remembering Fenway Park was published to acclaim in 2011.
Frommer mint condition collectible sports
books autographed and discounted are available always from the author.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended periods of time.